Veteran Leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Passes Away

Kolkata:

Veteran CPI(M) leader and former Chief Minister of Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya passes away aged 80. The end came at his humble 2-room housing board apartment in Balliganj area of South  Kolkata around 8:20 Thursday morning.

The firebrand Leftist served as Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. Age-related ailments especially pulmonary condition kept him away from active public life in recent times.

Born on 1 March 1944 in North Kolkata, he secured preliminary membership to CPI(M) in 1966 and rose to become the party’s State Secretary to West Bengal’s Democratic Youth Federation. Buddhadeb would later become a member of CPI(M) State Committee in 1971 and that of Secretariat in 1982. Since 1984, he was a regular invitee to the CPI(M) Central Committee  and became a member of the Committee in 1985 before his elation to member of the Politburo.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya won his first election to State Legislative Assembly first in 1977. Though losing out in 1987, Buddhadeb  made a comeback as MLA the same year winning by-election. He headed the Departments of Communication and Culture between 1987 – 96. During 1996 – 1999 Buddhadeb was Minister of Home Affairs. He became Deputy Chief Minister in July of 2000 and became Chief Minister the same year when Jyoti Basu relinquished the post owing to health problems.

Buddhadeb is remembered for his strong stance on industrialisation of West Bengal. The veteran is survived by Wife Meera; Daughter : Suchetna,